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ANSWERS 

TO 

QUESTIONS SUBMITTED 

TO THE 

INSPECTORS 

OF THE 

PHILADELPHIA COUNTY PRISON, 

BY THE 

COMMITTEE 

OF 
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 



Appointed in December, 1836, to Visit and Report on the Management and 
Economy of the Eastern Penitentiary, House of Refuge, and 
the Philadelphia County Prison. 



Read in the House of Representative** March 11, 183 




.llhUafteljrtrta: 

PRINTED BY J. THOMPSON, MARKET & SECOND S1KEET, 
1837. 









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At a stated meeting of the Board of Inspectors of the Phi- 
ladelphia County Prison, held on Tuesday, March 7th, 1837; 
It was on motion, 

Resolved, That the Report made to the Board, of answers 
to the queries propounded, by the Committee of the House of 
Representatives, be sanctioned, and that the President P. T. 
and Clerk, be directed to certify the same, and cause them to 
be forwarded to the Committee at Harrisburg. 

A true extract from the Minutes. 

Witness our hands and the seal of the 
said Prison, this eighth day of March, 
A. D. 1837. 




WILLIAM G. ALEXANDER, 

President, P. T. 



Attest 
WM. J. CRANS, Clerk. 



LC 



Control 



Numbej 



^ 




\ 



To the Committee of the House of Representatives, ap- 
pointed to visit and examine into the economy and 
management of the JEastem Penitentiary, House of 
Refuge, and the Philadelphia County Prison. 



Gentlemen : 

To the queries propounded below, to the Inspectors 
of the Philadelphia County Prison, the following answers, 
are respectfully submitted to your consideration. 

First-— How many persons are engaged in mechanical 
pursuits? 

Second — How many Prisoners now engaged in mechan- 
ical pursuits, were Tradesmen before their im- 
prisonment, and what is the Yearly value of their 
products? 

Third — What kinds of Trades are pursued in Prison? 

Fourth — What is the daily value of the products made 
in the Prison, estimated by the City price, and 
what the value at Prison prices? 

[If this question cannot be answered by a daily 
estimate, the Inspectors will please choose another 
mode of estimation.] 

A full answer to the first, second, third and fourth questions 
will be found in the table marked No. 1. 

Fifth — In what manner is - the money arising from the sales 
of articles manufactured in Prison, disposed of, 
and how are the sales principally made? 



Answer to the 5th question— The moneys arising from the 
sales are placed in the general fund, out of which have to be 
paid all the bills for the raw materials, tools, &c. used in man- 
ufacturing, and whatever surplus there may be, reduces 
the expense to the County of Philadelphia, of keeping the 
Prison. The sales are principally made by an agent or com- 
mission merchant, who is always, instructed to obtain the 
highest possible price. 

Sixth — Is an account of the product of each Prisoner kept? 
and if so, if there is a surplus left, from the la- 
bour of any one prisoner, does he get it upon his 
discharge? 

Answer to question 6 — An account is kept with each Pri- 
soner at work, and when discharged, if he has made more 
than the task assigned him, the Inspectors have heretofore 
been in the practice of paying one half of the value of the 
overwork to the Prisoner. 

Seventh — Do the Prisoners generally prefer to work? 

Answer to question 7. — Scarcely an exception. 

Eighth — How long do Prisoners remain before their trial? 
we mean the usual length of time they are detained 
before trial. 

Answer to question 8. — That depends upon what time the 
Prisoner may have been committed, and then again, whether 
or not he gets bail. If the Prisoner should be committed soon 
after the adjournment of the Grand Jury, and does not get 
bail before the next court, he has to remain about three months 
awaiting trial, and those who are committed at times nearer 
the commencement of the Court, have so much the shorter 
time to remain. 

Ninth — How many committals were there made to Prison 
during the year 1836, for what offences, how many 



convicted or acquitted, and when discharged; by 
whom, and for what charges, and by what au- 
thority, and what length of time were those con- 
fined, who were discharged without trial? 
Answer to question 9. — For answers to this question, see 
the tables marked Nos. 2 and 3. That portion of the ques- 
tion asking for the average time of confinement of those who 
are discharged without trial, would require more time than 
could be devoted to answering it, without employing an ad- 
ditional clerk for the Prison. 

The tables are formed so as to answer all which we think 
the Committee intended to inquire. 



\ 



JVo. lN«?s 

A StatF" AIN,NG a nd WEAVING Departments, for 



18 


SAVING- ACCOUNT. 






LOYED. 


YARDS OF CLOTH WOVE. 






> ] Checks. 


m 




Number who were Wea- 
vers when convicted. 


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09 

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Number who were Wet 
vers but learned in othe 
prisons. 












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a^ai^i^iaMm towirstfrsr rai©«c 



A Statement showing the number of Prisoners employed, and the amount of Work done in the COUDWAINING and WEAVING Departments fa 

the year 1886. " ' J 



CORDWAlNIlfG. 



NUMBER EMPLOYED. DESCRIPTION AND AMOUNT OF WORK DONE. 



January- ■•• 
February • 

MarclB 

April 

May 

Jnue 

July 

August 

September 

October 

November • 
December ■ 



WEAVING ACCOUNT. 



NUMBER EMPLOYED. 



* In this number are calculated 68 pa: 

REMARKS OM COKBWAZKriRJG. 



RECAPITULATION. 



68 prs Fine Boots made and footed 

631 " Coarse Boots made 

3300 " Brogans, 

*S45 " Shoes, 

61 " Fine Shoes, 

970 " Women's Shoes, 

457 " Children's Shoes, 

125 " Boy's Shoes, 



6457 Total pairs. 



Total value of labou 



50 


170 


00 


80 


504 


80 


53 


1749 


no 


m. 


316 


87 


100 


61 


00 


W. 


363 


75 


as 


127 


96 


40 


50 


00 


>our 


3343 


38 



' This work is done by learners, and is only used for prisoner'; 



These prices are the Prison Prices for work, and are as near as possible to the City Prices for work of the 
same quality. The principal Shoe work done is the Brogans, and they are chiefly made up and sold by the 
Prison at prices varying from $ 1 20 to 1 28, the larger portion at the latter price. 

03= The average price per pair, for making a total of 6457 pairs is near 51| cents. The average number 
of pairs made by each man is 206 3-5, and the average number of men employed for the year 1836 is 31 1-3, 
which will make the yearly earnings of each man, $106 70-100, which at 300 working days will make the daily 
average of earnings to be 35 1-3 cents. 



YARDS OF CLOTH WOVE. 



2324 
2370 
2910 
4350 
3750 
4159 
5040 
4560 
3960 
3660 
4740 
3240 



2430 
3570. 
3900 
5130 
5790 

5370 
5700 
5280 
4410 



1020 
3844 
4290 
4860 
3600 
3794 
6930 
6480 
3120 
3240 
6690 
5400 



9630 

12780 
11250 
13083 
17760 
17230 
12450 
12600 
16710 
I30.)(i 



REMARKS ©M WEAVING ACCOUNT. 

The first calculation below, will show the value of one year's manufacture of Do- 
mestics, valued at the average price, the same have been sold for, by the Agent of 
the Prison. 

The second calculation will show what the same quantity of Domestics of a simi- 
lar quality have sold for, not of prison manufacture. These prices are estimated by 
the actual sales of one of the principal domestic houses in the City, and entirely un- 
connected with any prison manufactured goods. 



$ 8449 32 
7225 33 
7191 23 





FIRST CALCULATION. 


45063 yards Checks, a 
53521 " Plaids, 
53268 " Stripes, 


verage value in 1836, 1 
do. 1 
do. 1 



151852 Total Yards. 



Total value, $ 228 



SECOND CALCULATION. 



45063 yards Checks average sales as above 
53521 " Plaids, do. in 1836, 

53268 ■' Stripes, do. do. 



6021 11 
5992 65 



151852 Total Yards. 



Total value, $ 20463 08 



*Difference in favor of Prison Sales for one year, $2402 80 

With a view to arive at a daily estimate, the following is submitted. The value 
of all the labour on a yard of cloth have been estimated by several of the principal es- 
tablishments in the city unconnected with prison labour. 

For the labour on 45063 yds. Checks, at 8§ yer yard, $ 3771 63 
Do. 106789 " Stripes and Plaids at Si, 5472 93 

Total value of labour, $ 9244 56 

cry- The average number of prisoners employed through the year is 85.5 6, and 
the average value of the labour of each one employed is $ 107.70-100, which, at 
300 working days to the year is 35.2-3 cts. per day. 



* Shewing that the Prison labour is of great advantage to the out-door i 
much as the prices are higher. 



1 



from January 1st to June 1st: and in the 
December 31st, 1836. 









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No. 2. 



A TAB 



Show 



dng the whole number of Commitments for the year 1836, in the Arch Street Prison, from January 1st to June 1st • and 
untried apartment in the Philadelphia County Prison, from June 1st to December 31st, 1836. 



in the 



3.836. 



MONTH. 



JANUARY---- 
FKBRUARY-- 

MARCH 

APRIL 

MAY 

JU.vE 

JULY 

AUGU.-T 

SEPTEMBER 
OCTOBER — 
NOVEMBER. 
DECEMBER- 

Total, •••• 



6 

18 | 24 



TABLE CONTINUED. 













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19 
19 

9 
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16 
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49 


































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6 
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64 
60 






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3 
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377 
367 








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393 








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63 




















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DECEMBER 


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8 


2 


1 


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3 


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4 


6 


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59 


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14 


302 






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19 


21 


7 


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168 


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761 


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FEBRUARY 



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JULY 



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TOTAL. 



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